Kalasin's Rebellion
by Sapphire Dragon1
Summary: Seeing as her dad won't let her become a knight, Kalasin has run away to learn Shang fighting.There are many problems she must overcome though.Also she and her new best friend are about to be placed in the middle of a very annoying war... ReadReview!
1. Chapter 1

O.k. guys please read and review this story. I accept flames and any ideas of any kind. So bye! And hope you enjoy it!  
Chapter 1. "Princess Kalasin!" a voice called from outside her bedroom. "Come, your father wishes to speak with you!" Kalasin rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath. She was lying on her bed daydreaming about the various ways she could punish her dad for not allowing her to become the second page. She had the idea when she was about five years old, yet her father, King Jonathon managed to talk her out of it. She really had no idea why he did seeing as one of his best friends and his champion was a lady knight. She had always admired Alanna and was so envious of Keladry of Mindelan when she was allowed to become a page. She didn't begrudge it to her, she really liked Kel but.it was just so unfair! Why? She asked herself for the zillionth time. Why did she have to be a princess? She was expected to be a proper little lady who would know how to curtsy and dance properly while her older brother, the crown prince Roald, was learning how to fight. She wanted adventure, and excitement! Kalasin got up from her bed with a sigh, there was no point in dreaming, she'd never get the chance to do as she wanted.  
  
Outside her bedroom a large and impatient woman was waiting for her, stamping her foot. This was Hildra, her personal maid, a strict and stern woman but Kally (Kalasin) knew that she was kind at heart. "Come!" Hildra said again, turning and bustling down the corridor with Kally trailing after her miserably. She was led into Jon's personal study, where her parents sat talking quietly. Her mother looked up at her and smiled. Kalasin returned the smile to her mother but glared at her father. Queen Thayet had tried to persuade her husband to let Kally try for her shield because she herself was a great warrior and thought that Kally should get to make her own decisions and do as she wanted. She had comforted Kally when she was so upset and Kally knew how much effort it took her to argue with her husband. "Kally! Sit down, we need to talk to you about the midwinter festival." Jon said, looking up at his daughter. Kalasin pulled a plush blue velvet chair from the large oak table and plonked herself down on it in a very un-ladylike way, earning a disapproving glance from Jonathan.  
  
"This is going to be your first big ball on midwinter day so we've decided to make it special." Jon began. "Now we know you're a bit young but we've invited Prince Takamere to the festival so you will finally meet him." Kalasin stared at him, shocked. Prince Takamere was a K'mir who had been betrothed to Kally when she was born and they had never seen each other before, they weren't supposed to see each other until they were old enough for the three year preparations leading up to the wedding would start. "But.dad, I'm thirteen years old! I'm not marrying a complete stranger when I'm sixteen! I'm not supposed to see the prince until I'm at least sixteen! You can't be serious! Please tell me you're joking." Kally said, her shock slowly turning into rage. "Well we know.but sixteen isn't too young to be married and we might make the preparations after a year or so. Honestly Kally, Roald is engaged to Princess Shinkokami and doesn't think anything of it, he quite likes her in fact." Jon said. Thayet said nothing, just looked down at her perfectly manicured nails, on her soft- skinned hands that lay delicately in her lap. Kalasin stood up and yelled at her father, "You can't do this to me! Does it even matter what I think? Are you just going to run and ruin my life for me??? I should get to do what I want seeing as it's my life! But no! I have to have proper ladylike decisions made for me! I hate this! I hate you! I hate being a princess!" she turned and ran from the room, tears streaming down her face.  
  
Later on that night, when the whole palace was asleep, Kalasin was awake. She was sitting at her dressing table, combing out her long black hair and fuming silently to herself. Suddenly she couldn't stand it any longer, she slammed her fists down on the table, making all the combs and ornaments jump about. Staring at herself in the mirror she made a decision that would change her life forever. She decided to live her own life. Slowly, hand trembling, she reached out for the large pair of scissors that lay on the dresser.  
  
**************** Well that's the first chapter! Good? It's so short because it's only and introduction, my next chapters will be longer I promise. I'll try and post another one soon, but in the meantime, please review!  
REMEMBER TERINA! 


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh Gods! Mighty Mithros!" Kalasin whispered to her reflection in the mirror. Her normally long, jet black hair was now at shoulder length and had tinges of red hair-colouring in, her hazelnut brown skin was now, thanks to a lot of make-up and powder, just a very light brown. She could do nothing about her eyes or her long dark eyelashes though. She was wearing black riding breeches and a dark shirt. Over those, she wore a very plain, black, short tunic. On her feet were riding boots, and thrust into her belt was a small dagger. After a lot of thought she had decided that she needn't pretend to be a boy as Alanna had, because where she was going took both girls and boys. But she changed what she looked like anyway so that she wouldn't be recognised as the princess. Now, as she looked in the mirror, she could hardly recognise herself!  
  
She glanced over at her elegant, four-poster bed and the small package that lay bundled up on it. Taking a deep breath, she walked steadily towards it, hoisted the pack (it contained food, change of clothes and other necessities) onto her back then slipped out of her bedroom door. She couldn't risk walking all the way through the palace and being discovered by anyone so she made the quick trip to the Queen's Riders headquarters and stood for a moment in front of a wall. She examined it closely then discovered the brick that was a small bit out of place, she pushed it aside. It opened a hole in the wall just big enough to climb through. This had been a secret passage that Daine had used when she wasn't able to sleep indoors and wanted to go and stay with the horses and the palace animals. You wouldn't know it was there unless you were looking for it.  
  
Clambering through the hole Kalasin tried to remember exactly where the passage came to an end. She was soon to find out though. She kept crawling along the little tunnel and suddenly there was a solid block in front of her. She pushed it aside and jumped into the outside next to the royal stables as quietly as she could. She took great care to replace the block then turned and nearly ran towards her horse, Majesta's stable. As she slipped inside Majesta snorted and pawed the ground nervously. After reassuring Majesta that it was only her, Kalasin quickly tacked her beautiful strawberry roan up and led her out into the darkness of the front of the palace. She mounted up and urged Majesta to a trot. The quicker she got out of there the better.  
  
She rode without stopping until the sun was rising slowly up over the hills. When the dawn was over and the first sounds of day were coming from the town Kalasin pulled Majesta over to the side of the path where a small clump of trees were hiding a little stream. She dismounted expertly and led Majesta to the water where the mare could drink and cool down. Kalasin sat down and opened her little pack. Inside she found some bread, cheese and a waterskin, provisions she had left herself. She ate quickly; made sure Majesta was fed properly, then they were on their way again. In about ten minutes, they reached Corus, Tortall's busy capital city. Riding through the town Kalasin felt even angrier at Jon for never letting her be a part of this huge place of excitement. Jon had always told her that you never knew the sort of people who would be hanging around there.  
  
Kalasin sighed angrily, what a hypocrite her father was! The Lioness Alanna had told her that Baron George, (her husband) had been the king of thieves and rogues in Tortall and that she and Jon used to visit him all the time in his inn where all the rogues met. They had made friends with the rogues and got to know them and now her father was telling her to keep away from them! So of course, 'Little Perfect Princess Kalasin' wasn't allowed to ever go into busy cities.  
  
The city was jam-packed with people. People buying and selling, people laughing and yelling and even people who just went there to talk to their friends. On every side, there was a market or a stall selling the most unusual things. Some were normal like fish or clothes but others were selling little potions or daggers right in broad daylight! Kalasin rode until she got to a little clearing in the pathway. In front of her stood a huge, well-kept inn. She was alert and excited but suddenly all that was knocked out of her when she heard a voice exclaim, "Princess Kalasin???"  
  
She froze and turned around slowly, stooping a little and keeping her eyes down at the dusty road. She gave a quick glance up and saw to her disgust that it was Joren of Stone Mountain a horrible page and Kel's worst enemy. "Oh no, I thought you were someone else. But she's a lot prettier than you." He said when he saw her properly then he turned and strode off in the opposite direction. Kalasin stood fuming, her heart beating wildly. How dare he say such a thing to anyone? And without even a word of apology too! She swore that she would make Joren of Stone Mountain pay when she went back to the palace...if she went back to the palace.  
  
Suddenly Kalasin felt extremely alone and helpless. She had no idea where to go or what to do and she would never reach the training place of Shang warriors...wherever it was. Turning around she caught a glimpse of a young handsome boy about her age wearing the loose, white, cotton outfit of a Shang novice! He caught her eye and grinned, white teeth flashing against copper skin, his coal-black eyes sparkling with mischief. She felt herself smile back at him but as quick as an eel escaping a fisherman's net...he was gone! "Oh Gods!" Kally muttered and dived into the crowd in search of her new friend.  
****************** Okay I hope you guys liked that chapter. I'll post another a.s.a.p. but for now just PLEASE REVIEW! I'm trying to get as many reviews as possible! Well Bye!  
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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.  
Kally kept pushing through the crowds, not even stopping to apologise to the people she almost knocked over in her hurry. Where had that boy gone? After about five minutes of searching blindly for the boy she reached the end of the crowds and entered a small clearing where there were very few people but no sign of the boy. She swore in a very unladylike fashion. She had been pulling Majesta behind her and she now led her over to the most respectable looking inn she could see. She was about to go through the front door but out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of white.  
  
She turned, the Shang novice was turning, about to go away. "Wait!" she called out. The boy spun around to face her. "I...um...are you a Shang novice?" she asked. He gave a jerky, half bow and nodded. "I am! And who's asking?" "I'm uh...I'm" Kally mentally kicked herself; she'd forgotten to think of a name to call herself! Suddenly, on the spur of the moment, she thought of one of her middle names, Sadira, meaning star in some language or other. "I'm Sadira, my name's Sadira." She said.  
  
She expected the boy to give her his name in return but instead he just said, "And what do you want with me Sadira?" "I...I was just wondering, well...you see...the thing is I... um..." She took a deep breath and said slowly, "I want to become a Shang novice." She stood there, waiting anxiously to see what the boy would say. His face showed no expression and he gave no sign of emotion.  
  
Finally, he shook his head and said, "No, it wouldn't work." And turned to walk away. Kally stood frozen for a moment but then chased after the boy again. She grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, hard. "Why not?" she demanded, "Why wouldn't it work? What wouldn't work?" She stood there with one hand on her hip and the other waving about in the air for emphasis. She repeated the questions, her dark eyes flashing dangerously.  
  
"You're too old!" he said simply and started to walk away again but Kally was ready for him this time and grabbed his arm, forcing him to stay where he was. "What do you mean?" she said innocently. She had expected this and so had taken a great deal of care with her appearance and character. She knew that Shang warriors only took young children on as novices, from about four years old to seven at the eldest. Kally was short and had managed to make herself look younger than her thirteen years. She now had rosier cheeks and she had been born with dimples, which added to her 'cuteness'! She told herself she could easily pass for seven.  
  
The boy shook his head in amusement. "Look, I'm sorry but your cute child's lisp and all the face paint in the world won't fool me. You may think you look like you are seven or eight years old but it's easy to tell that you are at least twelve years old. Although, you did do a good job with the face paint!"  
  
"Look, could you just give me a chance! I know I'd do well as a Shang novice and I...I just want a chance. Please!" she finished helplessly. The boy studied her thoughtfully, then beckoned with a finger for her to follow and turned and walked again into the crowd. Kally followed, dragging Majesta along next to her. She caught up with the boy and fell into step with him. As they walked, the boy talked to her.  
  
"My name's Kai, I'm fourteen, I've been a Shang novice for about two months now and let me tell you, this is extremely hard work, not for the weak of heart or determination." He started but Kally interrupted. "Two months?! But if you're fourteen, how is it possible that you've only been a novice for two months?" she said incredulously.  
  
"I was wondering if you'd notice that. You see I was already experienced in the art of Shang fighting. I had been doing it on and off since I was five so I had experienced quite a bit, not much but a bit. There was a Shang master in my father's...house who taught me some. The Shang masters took me in as an exception and as a favour to my father."  
  
"But...Well...I've had some experience too!" Kally spluttered in protest. "Don't you think they might take me in as an exception too?" she pleaded. Kai looked her up and down and said, "It's doubtful, but stranger things have happened. I'm not saying you should get your hopes up though so don't blame me if they don't accept you."  
  
Nevertheless, Kally started to see a glimmer of hope shine through the darkness of her despair. There were other problems too, she knew. One problem was her gift. She had really strong healing magic and Shang warriors wouldn't accept people with the gift. She knew she wouldn't be able to disguise it though, they would have magic-seers but she hoped she'd find a way to get past all that. In other words, she'd deal with that problem later. Kai looked at her nonetheless hopeful face, shook his head in despair and expertly mounted Majesta. When Kally looked at him in surprise he said, "It's quicker this way and I want to get out of the town. I don't um, like having so many people around." He took Kally's hand and she pulled herself up in front of him in the saddle with great difficulty as she was trying to avoid kicking him in the face...it didn't work.  
  
"Ow! Was that absolutely necessary?" he asked in a muffled voice, (His hand was covering his nose in protection from further accidents) "Sorry!" Kally replied, wincing as she imagined his pain. "Don't worry" he said, "Just try not to do it again okay? I get enough injuries at training! And the Shang masters won't let us get a healer unless it is a matter of life or death!"  
  
Kally gulped, the Shang way of life sounded harder to her than she'd imagined. But she stubbornly set her jaw, she had chosen this path and she was going to follow it. She wondered if she should tell Kai about her gift; he seemed like he could be trusted. She was so deep in thought that she barely even noticed when Majesta started moving; cantering down the street creating a path through the sea of people gave them a wide berth for fear of being trampled by the mare. Eventually Kally decided to keep the secret of her gift to herself for a while. She didn't know Kai very well and she was worried that if she told him about her gift, he might think her whole idea of being a Shang novice was hopeless and would send her away.  
  
When Kally concentrated on her surroundings she realised that they were cantering through the countryside, there were green fields all around her and they had left the cacophony of the city behind them. A few minutes later Kai, who had his arms wrapped around Kally's waist and was holding the reins at the same time, slowed Majesta to a walk.  
  
"The Shang headquarters are just outside the city, we need constant provisions and we don't like to be too far away from other people." Kai explained. He turned right and Majesta started walking up a steep hill. As they got further up and started to be able to see over the top of the hill, Kally saw a big, plain white building a little further away. The hill wasn't so steep on the other side so Kai nudged Majesta to a trot. They arrived at the bottom of the hill within minutes and reached flat ground.  
  
The ground was obviously the front lawn of the house and directly in front of them was a large, very long path leading up to the front of the house. Majesta cantered down it until they reached the top where it broke off and went in two directions, creating a large circle around the house. Kai turned Majesta right and she trotted up the path leading to the back of the house.  
  
Around the back of the house was another large lawn but to either side of it were large practice courts. Built on to the back of the house were large stables where Kai jumped off Majesta, gave his hand to Kally to help her do the same. He took the reins and led Majesta to an empty stable. He loosened the girth and promised Kally that he would come and untack her in a few minutes, just as soon as he had arranged for the head Shang master to speak to her.  
  
"Now, for future reference, you are never to use the front door ok? The front door is only for visitors and the Shang masters. You get in loads of trouble if you use it. All Shang novices have to use this door." He said, pulling open the oak back door. Inside the large house was as plain as outside it, white walls everywhere and minimum amount of furniture. Kai guided Kally into one of the long corridors, stopping at a large wooden door with 'Shang Unicorn' written on a brass plaque nailed on the door.  
  
"Now listen." Said Kai, turning to face Kally with a serious look on his face. "You might already know this but the highest ranking Shang warriors are named after mythical creatures. Right now, the highest ranking warriors are the Shang Unicorn and the Shang Griffin. A few years back Alanna the Lioness was in the company of the Shang Dragon. The title of Dragon has always been given to the most powerful Shang warrior in the world and this one was apparently the best Shang warrior ever known to man. He died at King Jonathan's coronation ceremony, protecting the king. He took seven arrows to the chest before he fell. He saved the king's life."  
  
Kally nodded, she had heard the story before from her father and from the Lioness. Also, one of her younger brothers was named for the Shang Dragon, Prince Liam. "Anyway, the Unicorn is the head of this school. Her name is Kylaia al Jmaa, but address her as Lady Unicorn or just Unicorn...actually, just let me do the talking, it will be easier that way. Okay, are you ready?" he asked. Kally nodded.  
  
Kai raised his fist and knocked on the door. A voice called out 'enter!' Kai opened the door and walked in. Kally composed herself, ignoring her nerves, took a deep breath and followed him.  
  
******************* Okay, so what do you think? I really want reviews 'cause I need to know how I'm doing on this fanfic. So please, please, Please review! Even if it's only a word, I'll really appreciate it.  
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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4.  
Kally stepped into another white-walled room. There was a fire blazing in the fireplace, heating the cold autumn air. There were weapons of all kinds mounted on the walls and directly in front of Kally was a sturdy wooden desk covered in letters. A middle-aged woman looked up. She was sitting behind the desk, a knife in her hand, slitting an envelope open. She had bronze coloured skin, dark eyes and very black, very curly hair that was coiled in a ringlet at the back of her head. She had a strict, no-nonsense look about her. A man was standing behind her, facing the fireplace, reading the letter that was in his hand. He was tall and very wide, he wasn't fat he was just very muscular. He was bald and had incredibly black skin and he too was middle-aged.  
"Lady Unicorn?" Kai said. "Kai! Are you back from Corus already? I thought you were planning to spend the whole day there!" the Shang Unicorn's voice was bright and musical.  
"I was planning to my Lady but I happened to come across this girl here," Kai replied, indicating Kally, "She wants to be a Shang novice." The man who Kally assumed was the sub-head of the school turned around at this point. He looked at Kally and a frown creased his forehead, identical to the Shang Unicorn's frown.  
"Alright Kai, you can leave. Oh and could you tell Aurek to come to my office now please." The woman said.  
Kai bowed swiftly then turned and walked out. There was a lengthy and uncomfortable silence in which nobody said anything then finally the Unicorn said, "Please, take a seat" Kally sat in the seat opposite the desk thinking, wondering what was going to happen, who Aurek was, and wishing Kai was beside her to offer some encouragement. After a couple of minutes, there was a tentative knock on the door and a woman entered. She was short and plump and was wearing an apron, her long golden hair tied back.  
She curtsied to the two adults and gave a friendly nod to Kally and, at the Unicorn's request, took a seat. "This is Aurek; she is our head house-woman, meaning she is a maid, cook, healer and anything else that comes along all rolled into one. She is not Shang obviously, as she has the gift and is the only one who lives in the house that does have the gift, but still she is respected. We use her for all our magical needs-" (she almost spat the word magical) "-such as healing and truth-telling. We will ask you a series of questions and you will answer them." Aurek took a clear glass globe from her apron pocket. "If you lie," the Unicorn continued, "the inside of the globe will glow red, if not, it will stay clear. Do you understand?" Kally nodded nervously, wiping her sweaty palms on her breeches.  
"First question, what is your name?" the Unicorn asked. "Sadira" Kally answered, thinking vigorously, it is one of my names and she didn't ask which one I should tell her. The globe stayed clear, obviously it agreed with her. Kally breathed a quiet sigh of relief, but not too loud, in case one of the adults should hear her.  
"Good, next question. How old are you?" the Unicorn continued. Kally knew this would be coming and she knew she could not fool the truth globe. "Thirteen" she said truthfully. There it was again, the small crease in both foreheads. Nevertheless she continued.  
"Do you have the Gift or the Sight?" she said, looking directly in Kally's eyes as if she already knew the answer. Kally knew that she would be discovered no matter what she said and guessed that it would be better to be known as truthful rather than a liar so she took a deep breath and said clearly, "Yes, I have the Gift."  
The Shang Unicorn leant across the desk towards Kally and said, "Did you not know that Shang masters only accept novices that are Giftless and under the age of eight?" Kally looked down at her hands that she had clasped tightly in her lap to stop them from shaking. "Yes." She said, "I knew. It is just that this is the only thing that I want to do and I've already had some Shang training like Kai so I've done enough to match up to a novice's work. And I...I won't use my gift unless I have permission from you my Lady Unicorn. I'll swear a blood oath to say that I won't!" Any person who broke a blood oath died slowly as their own blood boiled in their veins.  
"And what if you broke your oath accidentally?" said the Shang Unicorn, standing up and placing her hands on the desk, looming above Kally.  
"I know a way that I can bind myself; bind my gift, to prevent me from being able to use it. I still have my gift but if I try to use it I will find myself unable to take hold of it unless I have permission from you." Kally shifted uncomfortably. "It's not a very nice feeling, knowing that your gift is there and not being able to use it but I'll sacrifice my gift for now. I have my heart set on doing this and all I want is for you to give me a chance to prove my worth. Please, let me do so." Kally didn't know it but her eyes were pleading and her throat was tight from nerves and emotions. Everything was catching up with her, the realisation of what she had done. She had run away from home, taken up with a strange boy and was now pleading to become the first ever Shang novice with the gift. She felt tears stinging and blurring her eyes but she promised herself that she would not break down in front of these people; she at least had her pride.  
"I don't think that will be necessary," the Unicorn said, "I think that if you swear an oath by Mithros it will do well enough. If I take you on at all, I have to know that I can trust you completely to do what is right, not just be scared into doing it. But if I do take you on I will find a way of being alerted if you use your gift and believe me, if you do, you will be out of here before you can say Shang, do you understand?" Kally nodded mutely. "Now I'm not saying that I will take you on, in fact it is very doubtful as there is also the matter of your age to consider. I must consult the sub-head. Wait there."  
The Unicorn turned and walked out, the man followed right behind her. They left Kally facing Aurek who smiled at her but said nothing. The time went by so slowly, it felt like hours but it must have only been ten minutes. Kally didn't know what she would do if the Shang masters came back and told her she could not stay. She fidgeted, twitched and shifted about uncomfortably in her chair. Her mother would have been very disapproving as this was a very unladylike thing to do but Kally couldn't care less, she was too nervous.  
Finally, the door opened and the two Shang masters walked in. The Unicorn resumed her position at the desk, rested her elbows on it and spoke seriously to Kally. "Listen, we've decided to take you on, providing you don't use your Gift, you are able to keep up with the novices and you have enough experience. Aurek will give me a token so that if you use your Gift, I will know about it and believe me, you will regret ever having heard of the Gift, alright? And we also think it is best if you don't tell anyone but Kai about your Gift. We will ask Kai to show you around and help you settle in. We expect results from you Sadira, don't disappoint us now."  
She continued, "I'm sure you already know this but I am the head of this school. My name is Kylaia al Jmaa, I'm the Shang Unicorn. And this is the sub-head of the school, Shihab te Kimar, the Shang Griffon." She said, indicating the man. Her face broke into a smile, "Welcome to Shang High Sadira."  
Kally's heart had soared at the Unicorn's first words and now she felt like she was flying. She stood and was going to curtsy but remembered that she was wearing breeches and thought of how stupid it would look so instead she bowed deeply to all three adults. "Thank you my Lady Unicorn, my Lord Griffon, Madam Aurek. I am in your debt. And I promise I will not disappoint you."  
"Before you thank us though, I want you to swear an oath by Mithros that you will not use your gift without my personal permission or the permission of the Griffon." Said Kylaia.  
Kally placed the palm of her right hand over her heart, placed her left hand over her right hand and bowed her head. "I swear by Mithros, the most powerful and glorious king of all the gods that I will not use my Gift unless I have permission from the Shang Unicorn or the Shang Griffon. So mote it be." She said sealing the oath. She looked up, all three adults looked satisfied.  
There was a knock at the door, "Come in!" Kylaia called. Kai entered the room. He took one look at Kally's face and grinned, guessing what the Shang masters' answers had been. Kally smiled back at him, she felt as if she was in a dream she was so happy and she was almost weak from relief that her true identity hadn't been discovered.  
"Kai, I want you to show Kally around and help her settle in. Show her everything and tell her everything she needs to know. You can have the rest of the day off as we'd planned okay?!" Kai bowed, took Kally by the hand and dragged her out of the room.  
********** Well guys, I hope you like it. Keep on reviewing, it'll make me want to write more! 


	5. Chapter 5

******************* Okay guys, I just want to say that, because in Tamora Pierce's books (except Lioness Rampant) she never really says anything about Shang warriors, never really describes their lifestyle so, forgive me Tam, but I'm just going to use my imagination and make up any information that isn't given in the Tortall books. So just be clear that most of the information about Shang warriors, novices, dedicates etc. Is made up by me and is not necessarily true. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and as usual, Reviews are very much appreciated!!  
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Chapter 5. When they walked into the corridor, Kai gave Kally a brief hug. "Well done! You must have made quite an impression on them, what with being thirteen years old and having the Gift and all." He exclaimed.  
Kally frowned, "How do you know that I have the Gift?" she asked, "I haven't told you that yet!" Kai looked sheepish, "Um...I was outside the door and I could hear you. I didn't try to though I promise; I just overheard you telling the Unicorn. Don't worry though, I won't tell anyone, I promise." He hastily reassured her. Kally sighed, half exasperated, half amused at this boy who she had grown so close to in the last few hours. "What about Majesta?" she asked, remembering that they had left the mare fully tacked in the stable. "Don't worry," Kai said, "I untacked her, fed her, watered her down and settled her into a fresh stall while you were talking to the Unicorn" "Thanks," Kally said gratefully. "C'mon then, show me around this place." She said. The two started walking down the corridor again.  
"Okay, so we have six floors in the building; on the bottom floor we have the grand hall where all ceremonies are held and where we all eat breakfast, dinner and lunch. The kitchens are next to the hall but none of the novices are allowed in there. The library, indoor training courts and armoury are all on the bottom floor, including the head Shang master's rooms and office and the sub-head Shang master's rooms and office, and of course the courtyard. The first floor is entirely dedicated to classrooms, the Shang masters insist that we keep up with our academic subjects as well as other subjects. The second, third and fourth floors are the rooms for Shang novices and dedicates. The fifth and sixth floors are the Shang masters' rooms."  
Kally nodded to say that she understood. "Where is everybody? This is a school isn't it?" she asked curiously, seeing no one around. "Every day at half past one everybody has a half hour rest to let them digest their lunch. Lunch starts at one o' clock, continues for half an hour, then we have a half hour rest, and then another half hour free to do what we want. Most people have a wash and freshen up before we start work again. Kai explained.  
"Um, where do we wash?" Kally asked. "Did you notice the huge forest when we around the back of the house?" Kai asked her. She nodded in response; it would have been hard to miss the huge forest as it was directly in front of you as you looked into the distance. "Well there's a river running through it, and at either edge of the forest there are two lakes that are made by the river. All the girls wash in one of the lakes and all the boys wash in the other. Except for the Unicorn and the Griffon of course, they have their own personal wash baths." Kally nodded again.  
"Now, there isn't much else. I'll give you the grand tour later. So what do you want to do? Unless of course you want the grand tour now? I've got the rest of the day off so we can pretty much do whatever we want!" Kai said. Kally tried to stifle a yawn, her body was remembering that she had been awake since yesterday morning; she hadn't slept during the night 'cause that was when she had run away and now she felt really tired. In fact, it seemed like years since she had been lying on her bed trying to decide how to punish her father when really it was only last night.  
Kai saw her yawn and smiled, "I take that as an, 'I want to go to bed' kind of look!" he said. "I don't have a problem with that, but first you have to have something to eat. You must be hungry" Kally didn't object to that, she was very hungry. Kai guided her to the grand hall.  
It was quite a simple place; the only evident sign of wealth were the large marble columns in the four corners. Through the two large oak doors was a very big room with a raised platform at the top of it. A long wooden table with about twelve chairs stood on the platform. On the floor were lots of that could seat about six pushed together in straight rows to form four long rows. Two were at the left side and two were at the right side, leaving an aisle to walk down in the very centre of the room. The aisle led up to steps leading up to the platform. There was a smaller set of steps that was almost hidden at the back on the left and right sides of the platform which also led up to the top.  
Kai walked up to the very back of the hall and swung a painting away from the wall on its hinges. A woman's face appeared at the other side of the large square shaped gap in the wall. "Um can we have some lunch please?" he asked, "There are two of us and we were in the city so we missed lunch, would you mind if we took it now?" he finished.  
The woman spoke, "Sure, we've got some left over. There's two of you did you say?" Kai nodded. A hand passed a plate out through the hole; Kai handed it to Kally then turned back and reached for the second plate that was being held out to him. They both thanked the woman who Kai said was the head cook, Quasina.  
They seated themselves at one of the long tables, not the head one because that was for teachers only and Kally examined her food.  
"They feed us well here," Kai said, "That's one thing that the masters insist upon." Kally nodded, looking at her plate of thick slices of ham, some cheese, cold smoked fish, a roll with goat-milk butter and fruit.  
  
"Breakfast can be porridge or toasted bread with honey and sometimes the cooks make something new for a change. Lunch is always a cold meal and dinner is always a hot meal. But like I said, they feed us well."  
Kally made a start on her meal which turned out to be absolutely delicious. Simple compared to the usual palace-style lunch but Kally was pleasantly surprised all the same. Kai had finished his meal almost before Kally had even started on hers so he was waiting for about ten minutes for Kally to finish everything on her plate!  
Kai showed Kally out of the grand hall and back into the hall that you come into if you enter by the front doors. There was a large staircase leading to the first floor which Kai and Kally ran up. The first floor looked pretty much like the main floor but they didn't stop to look around but instead headed right up the second staircase and came out on the second floor. There were six main dormitories on the second, third and fourth floors. Three boy's dormitories and three girl's dormitories on each floor. They were put on each floor by rank, Kai explained. The second floor was all novices, the third was novices and dedicates and the fourth floor was dedicates only.  
Kai led Kally to the girl's dormitory that was furthest away from the head of the stairs. "This is going to be your dorm." He said. "I'm supposed to be your sponsor, meaning I show you around and take care of you and everything. My dorm is the one directly opposite yours." He said, pointing to show her. "So, welcome to your living quarters for the next three years." He said smiling at Kally. She smiled gratefully back at him and pushed open the door to her dorm.  
Inside were four plain lowbeds. These were new to Kally. They were Yamani style beds that were on the floor so you had to crouch down to get into bed. They were also raised at the bottom so you slept with your feet higher than your head! Next to each of the lowbeds was a little cupboard with a candle on. In the corner of the room was a single washbasin and that was pretty much all that was in the room. "As you can see, we live very simply here" Kai said, in an amused voice, expecting Kally - well Sadira - to be horrified at the simplicity of the room. Instead, she turned to him, smiled and said, "It's fine, and now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed." Kai nodded, saying, "I'll wake you up in time for our evening meal, okay?" he turned and ran downstairs. Kally stared after him, smiling happily. She turned, and practically fell onto her bed, and was immediately asleep, oblivious to everything around her.  
****************** Well? Please guys, review! The reviews are really most of what's keeping me going here! I know this chapter's short but I had to split it into two chapters 'cause it would be too long otherwise. I'll try to update soon.  
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	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
Earlier that day...  
"What the hell is going on here???" King Jonathon exploded, "How – HOW – can a Tortallan princess disappear in the middle of the night and not be heard by any of the guards, not get stopped by anyone and leave no trace of her whereabouts?!" He was pacing up and down in his private study, where a group of his most trusted subjects were gathered. His Champion, Lady Knight Alanna, was there, alongside Duke Gareth of Naxon the Younger, (the Prime Minister) Lord Raoul of Goldenlake and Malories Peak, Sir Myles of Olau, (The Royal Spymaster), Baron George of Pirates Swoop, Buriram, (chief of the Queens Ladies) and of course, Queen Thayet.  
"Jon, calm down. Look, she can't be much further than Corus and Corus isn't even that big! We'll search the whole area and we'll find her, I know we will." Gary, (Duke Gareth!) said, but even as he said these reassuring words his brow was creased and his eyes worried. "Calm down?" Jon said quietly, "Calm down???" his voice was getting louder, "HOW CAN YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN???" he yelled at his friend, "My eldest daughter is missing and you're telling me to calm down?! She's missing! She could be anywhere! And..." his voice faltered, "And it's all my fault..." He sat down in a chair behind his desk and put his hands in his head. Thayet stood up and said quietly, "Could you leave us alone for a moment?"  
Automatically everyone stood up and left the room, Thayet closed the door behind them and turned to face her husband. "Jon, listen to me. You have to pull yourself together! If not for my sake then for everyone else's! Nobody is used to seeing you break down like this and it's unnerving, even for me. We have a team of wonderful people who would be willing die for Kally at the slightest word at our command. And all of them are going to help look for her. We'll find her, we have to...the gods will smile on us in the end, you'll see."  
Jon raised his head and nodded slowly, "I am responsible for making her run away, I will not rest until she is safe at home under our protection and supervision." He walked over to a painting on the wall and started studying it, unaware of Thayet's worried gaze following him. It was a portrait of Kalasin, painted only a month before. She was looking thoughtful, but cheerful and contented at the same time.  
There was a creak as the study door opened. Prince Roald, Princess Lianne, Prince Liam and Prince Jasson walked through the door, all of them looking worried and upset. Jon turned around, "Why are you all awake? You're supposed to be in bed!" He said angrily. The younger children looked down at the floor, ashamed, but Prince Roald stared stubbornly up at his father. "What's going on?" he asked, "What's happened to Kally?" Jon was overcome with emotion and turned away to face the wall.  
"Children, it's under control. We don't know much about what's happened but I promise that you'll know as soon as we do. There isn't anything you can do, so why don't you go back to bed and you'll feel better in the morning?" Thayet said gently, herding the children out of the room and issuing an instruction to a servant to see them back to their bedchambers.  
She came back into the room and shut the door with a snap. Spinning around to face her husband, she forced him to look up at her, and then slapped him sharply across the face. He seemed to wake up from a trance and stared at her in shock as his face rapidly turned red where her hand had fallen. "What was that for?" he demanded angrily.  
"I'm sorry Jon, I didn't want to do that but I had no choice! You've fallen apart and in front of the children too! If they see you in pieces then what will they think?! They'll lose all hope and start to despair! No matter what is going on, I will not allow that to happen. Not to them, they deserve better from you. They've always thought of you as a strong rock to lean on. If they lose that, it could kill them, I don't want them to have to see you like this...I don't want them to be ashamed of you."  
Jon stared up at her with anger and shame in his eyes. He stood up, strode to the door and yanked it open, "Come back inside," he said to his friends, "We need to start sorting this out."  
Later on during the day...  
"Sadira...Sadira, c'mon wake up!" Kally mumbled and forced her eyes to open as she rolled over on her bed. It was late in the day, and dark outside. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, she was surprised to see that the person waking her up wasn't Kai, but a young girl about her age. Kally sat up suddenly, her mind whirring with thoughts and her stomach fluttering with different emotions. She suddenly felt sick as she remembered the events that had taken place earlier on in the day. She had run away from home...her parents were going to be so mad when they found her. But even as she was thinking these horrible thoughts, she could feel excitement stirring up inside her.  
Kally stood up and followed the girl out of the room. Dozens of candles lighted the hallway and Kally was able to study the other girl more closely. She had a cheerful face and a cheeky grin that matched the mischievous look in her eyes. She had coal black skin and fairly short, spiky hair that was also coal black but had streaks of bright purple, blue and gold in it!  
She grinned at Kally and said, "Hi! I'm Terina, I'm Kai's friend. He sent me to call you down for the evening meal. He wasn't able to come up to you himself because he was told to go to see The Unicorn before the meal...don't ask me why, I never get told these things. He didn't tell me anything about you except your name so tell me, how old are you? You look about thirteen. And where are you from? I'm from Corus by the way. And how come you decided to become a Shang novice when you were so old? I should be a dedicate by now but I've been kept back about four or five times, apparently I don't work hard enough, although I can't see that! You can call me Rina by the way, everyone does. I'm not talking too much am I?" she said suddenly.  
Kally was trying to make sense of everything she had just been told and all the questions she had just been asked in the last three seconds! She didn't think that Terina had even stopped for breath in the middle of her speech! Terina obviously took her silence to be affirmative so she went on, "I'm sorry, it's one of my biggest faults, I'm always being told not to talk so much and not to talk so fast but I just can't help it!" she said, throwing up her hands and sighing dramatically.  
Kally couldn't help herself; she laughed out loud, as the other girl giggled to herself and winked at Kally. Kally liked the look of Terina; she seemed like a lot of fun. And Kally knew that she would need as many friends as she could get in this place. "C'mon" Terina jerked her head at the stairs and started to walk towards them. Kally had to walk fast to keep up with her, she walked very quickly.  
"Um...Terina?" she said tentatively as they walked down the stairs to the first floor. The other girl waved a hand airily, "I told you, call me Rina. I'm uncomfortable being called by my full name because that's what The Unicorn calls me. So now every time someone calls me Terina, I think I've done something wrong and I automatically start apologizing!" she said happily.  
"Okay then, Rina?" Kally said again. "Yes?" Rina replied. "How old are you?" Kally asked. "I'm thirteen, like you...You are thirteen aren't you? Only you never answered my question!" Rina exclaimed, pretending to be hurt. "Well I would've, but you didn't give me much of a chance! Yeah I'm thirteen too. I'm from just outside Corus, not this side, the other side. And to answer your other question...well I suppose I just wanted a change in my life. I was bored and I wanted excitement and adventure. I knew I'd never get it where I was living so I just decided to go...to pick up and leave."  
"What about your parents? Didn't they mind?" Rina asked. "I...I don't have any parents...they died when I was little." Even as she said it Kally felt blood rush to her cheeks and felt sick to her stomach at the thought of what she was saying. She felt incredibly guilty but she knew that she couldn't leave her story there, so she kept on going. "I was sent to live with an elderly aunt but she died recently too, there was nothing keeping me where I was, I'd never really felt at home there anyway. So I left, to find a better life, although by the sounds of things this life is even harder than my earlier one!" she finished up.  
"That's true!" Rina agreed, "But at least they feed you well, I live for food! I eat a lot, as you'll see in just one moment." She said as the two girls walked into the main hall. At the head table sat twelve adults, Shang masters. Kally recognized the middle two adults as being the Shang Unicorn and the Shang Griffin. On the main floor, the two long tables to the left and to the right were both filled with scrambling children and teenagers trying to get a seat at the table. The ages of the students ranged from about four to about nineteen.  
"Hey, look, there's Kai!" Rina said, heading over to where Kai was waving at them to get their attention. Kally followed her and took a seat next to Rina, opposite Kai. There was butter and fruit already on the table. There were also little bread rolls, some plain and others with chopped fruit in them.  
After all the students had managed to claim a seat, they stood up and there was silence in the room, as if everyone were expecting something. The Unicorn stood up and raised her hands, palms facing upwards. "May the great gods, Mithros, Minos and Shakith, look kindly upon us and bless this food that is served at our tables. May they give us courage, wisdom and strength. So mote it be." She said, all the students joining in for the sealing of the prayer. Everyone sat down again. Kally was surprised, normally at the palace the king would only ask for Mithros's blessing upon their food. She was sure that she had heard of the other gods before but she couldn't remember where.  
Suddenly dozens of servants appeared from a hidden door in the wall, all of them carrying trays laden with plates of steaming food. They served the head table first and then made their way down to the four other long tables. They served every student, having to make second and third trips back to the kitchen before everyone had a plate in front of them. Kally looked down at her meal as everyone around her started to eat. On her plate was rice, studded with almonds and raisins and some type of chicken with sauce. There were vegetables on the side of her plate.  
She could see that some people were glancing at her curiously, but mostly everyone was eating as much as they could and as quickly as they could. She now understood what Rina meant about her eating so much. The other girl had already finished her dinner and was spreading butter on her second roll. Kally picked up her fork and started to eat; she wasn't surprised to find that the food was as good as Rina had said it was. After everyone had finished eating, they sat back and started talking as the plates were being taken away by the servants. Kai and Rina seemed very popular and soon everyone at all four tables were coming over to be introduced to 'Sadira'!  
When the dessert, rice pudding with honey and cream, had been served, the people seemed to drift away, back to their tables to eat again. Kally started listening to what Kai and Rina were talking about. "Where is he?" Rina was saying. "Didn't I tell you? He was given permission to go into town today and to stay the night, you know that his sister's ill, he'll be back tomorrow afternoon though." Kai replied. "Who are you talking about?" Kally asked curiously.  
Kai turned to face her, "Oh, our other best friend, Roka, you haven't met him yet. He'll be back tomorrow though, we'll introduce you to him then." He told Kally. Satisfied with this answer Kally finished off her dessert. When the last plate had been cleared from the tables, everyone got to their feet again. The Unicorn said the final blessing and dismissed everyone. As they walked out of the hall Kally said, "Now what happens?"  
Rina answered her question, "Well after dinner every night we are allowed two hours to do our studies that the masters set us in class before we go to bed. Just to warn you, we are given a lot of work, so be prepared! I'm in your dorm Sadira, by the way. I know that neither of you have studies because you were having a free day, Kai and Sadira, you haven't had any lessons yet! But I've got loads to do so I'd better get started. I'll see you tomorrow Kai, and I'll see you upstairs Sadira." She waved merrily and set off up the staircase. Halfway up she stopped, turned around and as an afterthought added, "Does anyone ever call you anything other than Sadira? It's a really long name." When Kally shook her head Rina looked perplexed and quite worried. Then her face broke into a smile, "I'm going to call you Sadi, okay? It's a lot easier to say!" and with that, she ran up the stairs.  
Kai shook his head at his friend amusedly and said, "So what do you want to do? Most people study in their dorms but Roka, Rina and I have a study group in the library every night. I suppose Rina will study in her – your – dorm tonight." Kally noticed Kai yawning and said, "I'm still tired and I can see that you are too! I might just go to sleep, if you don't mind...It's been a very long day."  
Kai nodded gratefully, "Thanks, I want to go to bed anyway, so I suppose I'll see you in the morning?!" Kally nodded and started walking alongside Kai up through the first floor and onto the second floor. She paused outside the dormitory door and turned around. "Kai?" she said to the boy who was about to walk into his dorm. He turned around, "Yeah?" "...Thanks." Kally said, before turning around and going into her dorm. A screen for dressing behind had been put up in the room. Rina was already at the far end of the dorm, writing on a page that was on a small table, balanced on her knees. Two other girls were with her, Kally recognised one from dinner. She smiled and grabbed her night-clothes out of the small bag she had brought with her.  
After getting dressed behind the screen she apologised to the girls for going to bed but explained that she was just too tired to stay up. They nodded and said nothing as Kally lay down in bed, shivering in the cold night air. It took only two minutes for her to fall asleep, and she fell asleep anticipating tomorrow, whether the day would be bad or good, she was yet to find out...  
**************** Okay that was a really long chapter and probably very boring but it'll get more interesting soon I promise. In the meantime, Please keep reviewing. I'll try to post another chapter up soon. Oh and for those of you who didn't get to read chapter 4, there was a bit of a mix-up, I've corrected it now so you can go back and read the REAL chapter 4! 


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